Former DC Films Co-President Geoff Johns Allegedly Opposed Superman Having A Black Grandfather In KRYPTON

Former DC Films Co-President Geoff Johns Allegedly Opposed Superman Having A Black Grandfather In KRYPTON

Former DC Films Co-President Geoff Johns is said to have "vetoed" Superman having a Black grandfather in the now cancelled Krypton because he felt the character should look like "a young Henry Cavill."

By Nighthawk01 - Apr 07, 2021 03:04 AM EST
Filed Under: Krypton
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Yesterday, Zack Snyder's Justice League star Ray Fisher finally opened up about his issues with Joss Whedon and Geoff Johns. The Avengers director has been painted in a terrible light, and the odds of him working in Hollywood again seem pretty slim. As for Johns, he continues to work on various DC films, TV shows, and comics, but his future could also be in question. 

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Krytpon's creators were keen to bring some diversity to the DC Universe, with Bridgerton breakout star Regé-Jean Page among those who auditioned for the role of Superman's grandfather. Johns, however, allegedly contended that the Man of Steel could not have a Black grandfather, and also "vetoed" Adam Strange being gay or bisexual. 

Johns' rep argues that "Geoff celebrates and supports LGTBQ characters, including Batwoman, who in 2006 was re-introduced as LGBTQ in a comic-book series co-written by Johns." They also point out that the comic book scribe felt fans expected the character to "look like a young Henry Cavill."

The former co-President of DC Films has come under fire from Krytpon writer Nadria Tucker on social media as well, and she tells the trade that one argument saw Johns object when a Black female character's hairstyle was changed.

"I said Black women, we tend to change our hair frequently. It's not weird, it's a Black thing," she pointed out. "And he said, 'No, it's not.'"

To that, Johns' spokesperson argues that he can't be racist...because he was once married to a Black woman and his second wife is Asian American. 

Throw in what Fisher has said, and it's getting hard to see how Johns could have a future at DC.

Click HERE for more Krypon news from CBM!

BRIDGERTON Star Regé-Jean Page Responds To Report That His Race Kept Him From Landing KRYPTON Role
Related:

BRIDGERTON Star Regé-Jean Page Responds To Report That His Race Kept Him From Landing KRYPTON Role

KRYPTON Star Cameron Cuffe's Unfilmed CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS Cameo Has Finally Been Revealed
Recommended For You:

KRYPTON Star Cameron Cuffe's Unfilmed CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS Cameo Has Finally Been Revealed

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2 3 4 5 6
TheBlueMorpho
TheBlueMorpho - 4/7/2021, 3:38 AM

Uh oh.....




Ooops wrong gif. I mean.....

BraveNewClunge
BraveNewClunge - 4/7/2021, 4:03 AM
@TheBlueMorpho - Lmaooooo
Grogu
Grogu - 4/7/2021, 8:12 AM
@TheBlueMorpho - Oh, yeah!




Grogu
Grogu - 4/7/2021, 8:25 AM
@Grogu - Thinking about it. Really wish we got a sequel to this overlooked gem. Quite a solid film. Really reccomended. 😉😇😎


duncboy
duncboy - 4/7/2021, 3:39 AM
Biggest eye roll ever - it’s not racist to not race swap longstanding preexisting characters.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 4/7/2021, 5:12 AM
@duncboy - Thank you
duncboy
duncboy - 4/7/2021, 5:31 AM
@Waddles - I wouldn't disagree with that, but considering Geoff John's efforts in diversity in comics it seems fair to want more context too. One could make the point that we aren't talking about African Americans, we're talking about Kryptonians. One could counter that point with saying "Yes, but we're also trying to appeal to our African American fanbase." One could go on to counter that by saying "Yes, but we're also trying to appeal to all People of Color, not just those in America, and what is being suggested is more representative of only PoC in the USA, not throughout the world." One could further counter that by saying "Yes, but the show is full of Americans and is airing in America". The argument goes on and on without context, but something isn't inherently racists because it involves race and someone was offended.
nhoj3
nhoj3 - 4/7/2021, 6:46 AM
@Waddles - THR actually gave a little more context than what's reprinted above. In this particular situation, the writer wanted the black characters hairstyle changed within a few days of one another, which Johns viewed as a "continuity" issue and claims has been twisted into a "race" issue.

Also from the THR article:

Johns' spokesperson says: "What were standard continuity notes for a scene are being spun in a way that are not only personally offensive to Geoff, but to the people that know who he is, know the work he's done and know the life he lives, as Geoff has personally seen firsthand the painful effects of racial stereotypes concerning hair and other cultural stereotypes, having been married to a Black woman who he was with for a decade and with his second wife, who is Asian American, as well as his son who is mixed race."
Murderisbadong
Murderisbadong - 4/7/2021, 7:46 AM
@duncboy - That’s nice a sentiment. But American filmmakers continue to race swap POC characters to white character or super tan the white actor/actress to appear middle eastern.

Noah
Exodus
The Passion of Christ
Prince of Persia
A beautiful Mind
Gods of Egypt
Argo(Ben’s character is actually Hispanic)
The last Airbender
Wanted(Angelina’s character was written as a black character)
The Lone Ranger

These are all characters who were not originally white characters but got race swapped to white.
So while you make a decent point. American film makers do not have a problem with white washing films, but refuse to change the race of a white character to another race.



Amuro
Amuro - 4/7/2021, 3:41 AM
Geoff Johns is still working on the movies despite Justice League bombing at the box-office ?

The irony of that revelation is that we might have Michael B. Jordan as our new Superman a few years from now.
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 4/7/2021, 3:48 AM
I got the idea Johns is more of a guy that wants to see things from a comic accurate perspective and not a racist perspective. Although, those two are not mutually exclusive
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 4/7/2021, 3:51 AM
This entire thing seems like a stretch. You could probably put a racist spin on half the decisions taken in a writers room. We've seen this happen with Superman & Lois as well.
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 4/7/2021, 4:00 AM
Johns really needs to fire his PR team though.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 4/7/2021, 4:06 AM
@RageDriver2401 - apparently everything is racist nowadays lol
Se4M4NSt4ine
Se4M4NSt4ine - 4/7/2021, 3:58 AM
Johns' spokesperson argues that he can't be racist...because he was once married to a Black woman and his second wife is Asian American.


1 2 3 4 5 6
View Recorder